Alvarado ready to defend title against Provodnikov

DENVER 
This wasn't meant as a pre-fight jab, only an honest evaluation: Mike Alvarado doesn't believe his opponent is that skilled of a boxer.

An unconventional brawler who can pack quite a punch, most definitely. But hardly your classic fighter.

With that in mind, Alvarado will do everything in his power to avoid his title defense turning into a street fight when the World Boxing Organization junior welterweight champion meets up with powerful Russian bruiser Ruslan Provodnikov on Saturday night in Broomfield, Colo.

"He's dangerous," said Alvarado, who's from the Denver area and will have quite a home-ring advantage at what's expected to be a sold-out 1stBANK Center. "He's a good puncher and lands those hard shots. I'm going to stay on my toes and stay on my game. Because with this Russian, you have to be on your toes. You have to be focused, stick to your game plan and not fight his fight."

Timothy Bradley Jr. tried to go toe-to-toe using Provodnikov's brawling methods in March and nearly paid dearly, with the welterweight world champion barely holding off the boxer nicknamed the "Siberian Rocky."

Alvarado (34-1) has studied that bout extensively and quickly came to this conclusion: He won't stand in the middle of the ring and try to slug it out with Provodnikov. That's playing straight into Provodnikov's gloved hands.

"He's not a talented boxer. He doesn't have that agility type aspect in his training," said the 33-year-old Alvarado, whose purse for this fight is approximately $1.2 million. "But once he enables his will, and gets you to fight the way he fights, it's not a good thing."

Provodnikov (22-2) insisted he's not as one-dimensional as everything seems to think. That his label of brawler really doesn't apply.

"I am ready for anything," Provodnikov, 29, said through an interpreter. "I think if Mike chooses to box, it will be better for me because I think that Mike is a better brawler than he is a boxer.

"I don't think either of us can run for the entire fight and I don't think he'll be able to box with me as well as he thinks. This will turn into a fight."

Growing up, Alvarado was a top-notch high school wrestler before making the transition to boxing. He's quickly progressed through the ranks, going from local club shows to internationally televised world championship fights.

These days, he trains at a warehouse-turned-gym that's located in the shadow of Coors Field - home of the Colorado Rockies - and next to a set of train tracks. His loyalty to the city runs deep, too, adopting the moniker "Mile High" and showing up for a recent workout wearing a Denver Broncos cap along with a Peyton Manning jersey. He will wear blue-and-orange trunks for his fight.

Even more, Alvarado is hoping a fight of this magnitude can put Denver back on the boxing map, with HBO televising a live bout from Colorado for the first time. This is the biggest match in the area since former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Stevie Johnston fell to Jose Luis Castillo in 2000.